How this new program is helping N.S. students with disabilities transition into adulthood

Celina Aalders · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 27, 2026 3:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Like most young people about to graduate high school, Alexander MacNeil faced the ultimate question: What’s next? 

But for some students, there’s not always a clear answer.

That’s why the Nova Scotia government created the school leavers program, an initiative to help Grade 12 students with disabilities — or those who require additional day-to-day support — transition into adulthood.

The program was developed in response to the recommendations of the human rights remedy, a five-year legal agreement to address systemic discrimination in the province’s treatment of people with disabilities. 

In its pilot year, 100 students enrolled in the school leavers program. They were paired with local area co-ordinators who work with the students and their families to explore options for their future beyond school.

“She was so nice. She was an angel. Thank God we got her,” MacNeil, 18, said of his assigned co-ordinator, Kate Sheehan. 

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MacNeil said Sheehan pointed him to a program at the Nova Scotia Community College where recent high school graduates build life skills, prepare for employment and participate in their community. 

He said Sheehan helped him set up a campus visit, fill out an application and prepare for an interview. 

“I really walk alongside and get to know the person,” said Sheehan, a co-ordinator in Cape Breton who supported five students last year. “It’s important for them to start imagining possibilities that they may not have considered before.” 

MacNeil’s mother, Tania Bond-MacNeil, said she had no idea whether her son was eligible for the NSCC program, and was grateful someone else was there to help him assess his options.

“You have kids that are quite high-functioning that can, with supports, enter the workforce and try to work to their potential … that’s what every parent wants for their kids,” said Bond-MacNeil.

MacNeil was ultimately put on a waitlist for NSCC. The family said there was a mix-up at the beginning of the school leavers program, and they were not assigned Sheehan as a co-ordinator until January. But they understand it’s in its early days and the kinks will be worked out. 

In the meantime, MacNeil’s backup plan is to go back to Memorial High School in Sydney Mines as a returning student, still with the support of his co-ordinator. 

MacNeil-Bond said the program could be even more effective if it started as early as Grade 10 or 11. 

“The kids that are coming after Alexander, if they take advantage of the program, I think they will have no regrets at all,” she said. 

“I think it was very beneficial for me,” said MacNeil.

A spokesperson for the Department of Opportunities and Social Development said the program will continue next year, with another 100 students signed up to participate. 

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